Pope Francis

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope on March 13, 2013, at the age of 76. The 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, he is the first Jesuit and the first to take the name Francis. He is also the first non-European leader of the church in more than 1,200 years.

News about Pope Francis, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 26, 2015

Vatican sends official diplomatic note to Mexican ambassador insisting that Pope Francis meant no insult when he made comment linking Mexico to drug trafficking, offending Mexican government. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Sexual assault case brought by Spanish man David Ramirez Castillo has become one of the most serious to emerge under Pope Francis, but has also come to symbolize church's more open and assertive approach under his tenure; allegations include child abuse, a sex ring and cover up involving as many as 10 priests; Francis encouraged Castillo to pursue his case after he contacted him personally, and then ordered investigation and complete transparency. MORE

Feb. 7, 2015

Jennifer Finney Boylan Op-Ed article maintains Roman Catholic Church's narrow and discriminatory views are responsible for driving away many faithful; notes church has turned out many in need of acceptance, like gays, lesbians and transgender people, or in need of help, such as addicts; urges Pope Francis to reach out to such people during scheduled visit to New York and offers hope that church may eventually return its faithful. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

Pope Francis honors as a martyr Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was shot to death at altar in 1980 as he was saying Mass; move clears way for Romero to be beatified. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Pope Francis has set in motion debate about whether Roman Catholic Church should change its stance on divorce, which will be decided when bishops gather in October for second Vatican synod; debate has been set off due to millions of divorced Catholics around world; traditionalists point to fact that church offers option of seeking annulment for marriage, but many Catholics say they dislike process. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column suggests that Pope Francis' comments about Catholics not having to procreate like rabbits was acknowledgement that church's strict views on contraception do not conform with messy reality of the world; notes that while Francis was not deviating from church teaching, statement is reminder of how Francis is altering stridency with which church addresses problematic aspects of its doctrine. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Pope Francis attempts to quell criticism of his remark that Catholics should not breed 'like rabbits,' saying that statement was meant to encourage responsible parenthood. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Pope Francis remarks that Catholics should not feel compelled to breed 'like rabbits,' amusing some people and insulting others; says Catholics should practice responsible parenthood while remaining mindful of church's views on contraception. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Archbishop Cardinal Timothy M Dolan notes Pope Francis will make short trip to United States stopping in New York City for one day to address United Nations. MORE

Jan. 20, 2015

Pope Francis says time limits will preclude a visit to California during his September 2015 trip to United States, but he will visit Washington, New York and Philadelphia. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Six million people in the Philippines turn out to see Pope Francis as he celebrates Sunday Mass in its capital Manila, part of his five-day visit to country. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Pope Francis makes first papal visit in 20 years to Philippines and is greeted by cheering throngs in deeply Catholic country where church is grappling with social change and its decline in political power. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Jan. 14, 2015

Pope Francis visits Sri Lanka, saying in speech that religious leaders should help in process of reconciliation after civil war. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Vatican says Pope Francis will visit Sri Lanka and Philippines in his second trip to Asia in six months; Francis hopes to convey message of reconciliation and peace in Sri Lanka, which has endured decades-long civil war, and commiserate with loss suffered by people in Philippines due to 2013 typhoon; focus on Asia highlights how Roman Catholic Church has shifted attention away from Europe in last decade. MORE

Jan. 5, 2015

Pope Francis names 15 new cardinals from 14 countries in his attempt to diversify church hierarchy and increase global influence of church; nine new bishops and archbishops are from developing nations, including those that have never had a cardinal. MORE

Dec. 26, 2014

Pope Francis emphasizes plight of children in areas of conflict in traditional Christmas address; calls for global peace and expresses hope that world will heed plight of needy by ramping up humanitarian aid. MORE

Dec. 24, 2014

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column praises Christmas address given by Pope Francis, in which he reminded Roman Catholic Church leaders of their true mission and ministry; compares Francis to his predecessors, and argues that Francis has in the first two years of his papacy made church more accessible and receptive. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

Pope Francis, during his traditional Christmas address, criticizes Vatican bureaucracy, warning that many of church's leadership suffer from 15 'ailments and temptations' like desire for power and lack of spiritual empathy; urges them to evaluate and improve themselves. MORE

Dec. 21, 2014

Molly Worthen reviews book The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope by Austen Ivereigh. MORE

Dec. 21, 2014

Editorial applauds report from Pope Francis's Vatican offering praise and gratitude to the 50,000 American nuns who quietly labor among nation's downtrodden and impoverished; contends original inquiry into behavior and fidelity of the sisters, ordered by Pope Benedict XVI, was underpinned by male chauvinism; urges Pope Francis to ensure that second stage of inquiry focuses just as positively on contributions of American's modern nuns. MORE

Dec. 19, 2014

Pope Francis, who helped facilitate agreement between Cuba and United States, appears to be asserting his vision of diplomatic boldness; is willing to take risks and insert Vatican into diplomatic disputes, attempting to establish Vatican as trusted broker of accords. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Pres Obama and Cuba's Pres Raul Castro engaged in 18 months of clandestine negotiations to swap prisoners and restore diplomatic relations between countries; Obama enlisted help of Pope Benedict XVI, as Catholic Church has significant influence among Cubans, but Vatican involvement stepped up under Pope Francis, who offered assurance that both sides would keep promises made. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Pres Barack Obama announces restoration of diplomatic relations between United States and Cuba after 54 years of ideological stalemate; begins process of removing country from list of states that sponsor terrorism; restrictions on remittances, travel and banking are eased but economic embargo remains in place; prisoner swap, negotiated with help of Pope Francis, is carried out; American government contractor Alan P Gross, held in Cuban prison for five years, is released on humanitarian grounds. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Pope Francis is being credited with helping to broker thaw in relations between United States and Cuba by sending letters to Pres Obama and Pres Raul Castro and hosting diplomatic meeting between the two leaders in October; Francis's success is supported by his status as first Latin American pope of Roman Catholic Church. MORE

Dec. 16, 2014

James Martin reviews book The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope by Austen Ivereigh. MORE

Dec. 15, 2014

Side Street column; Pope Francis sends rosary to Dennis Martinez, inmate at Sing Sing, after a drawing of his was presented to Francis; unlikely exchange is result of prison volunteer, Betty Woodward, who secured brief audience with the pope where she presented gifts from prison inmates. MORE

Dec. 14, 2014

Serge Schmemann Quick History column reflects on events of the week, including release of Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA's use of torture and Pope Francis assuring young boy that dogs can go to heaven. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

Pope Francis reportedly refuses to meet with Dalai Lama, who is in Rome for gathering of Nobel Peace Prize laureates; pope's action seems to be further success for China in its efforts to isolate the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, but Vatican claims Pope Francis will not meet with any of the Nobel laureates and says Dalai Lama is held in high esteem. MORE

Dec. 12, 2014

Pope Francis, in public remarks, supports notion that animals can participate in a spiritual afterlife; assuring little boy whose dog had died that all creatures can know 'paradise,' Francis stirs debate on whether animals have souls; theologians caution that Francis was not making a doctrinal statement, but many see remarks as repudiation of conservative Catholic theology. MORE

Dec. 4, 2014

Number of prominent Roman Catholic priests and laypeople in Sri Lanka are appealing to Pope Francis to delay his January visit, saying government is using it as propaganda to simply pope’s support for Pres Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is seeking unprecedented third term in office. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

Pope Francis and his Orthodox Church counterpart Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew vow to work together to prevent exodus of Christians from Syria and Iraq, calling for constructive dialogue with Muslims to resolve international conflicts. MORE

Nov. 30, 2014

Pope Francis visits Sultan Ahmet Mosque and Hagia Sophia on second day of his trip to Turkey; prays alongside senior cleric Rahmi Yaran in effort to promote further interreligious dialogue for peace. MORE

Nov. 29, 2014

Pope Francis emphasizes need for inter-religious dialogue during trip to Turkey, his first visit to a predominantly Muslim country; addresses battle against Islamic State militants, arguing that force alone will not suffice to defeat extremism that threatens Christians and other religious minorities. MORE

Nov. 26, 2014

Pope Francis addresses European Parliament, for first time since John Paul II in 1988, striking a somber tone; states that Continent has lost its way, that its energies have been sapped by economic crisis, and that it has become a bystander in a world that is ever less Eurocentric; comments amount to a strikingly blunt critique from the first non-European pontiff in more than a millennium. MORE

Nov. 19, 2014

Blase J Cupich is installed as archbishop of Chicago, nation’s third-largest Catholic archdiocese, and urges church not to fear change; his selection is Pope Francis' most significant move yet to reshape leadership of Catholic Church in United States. MORE

Nov. 18, 2014

Pope Francis confirms he will make his first papal visit to United States in September 2015 to attend international meeting in Philadelphia on theme of family; trip may include stop in New York. MORE

Nov. 12, 2014

American bishops of Roman Catholic Church hold annual fall meeting, and many say they feel change rattling church hierarchy; vast majority of bishops were appointed by Pope Francis's two more conservative predecessors, and some are resistant to kinds of changes Francis seems to envision. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

Pope Francis officially removes Cardinal Raymond L Burke as head of Vatican's highest judicial authority; Burke is powerful American cardinal who has emerged as unabashed conservative critic of reform agenda and leadership style that Francis has brought to the church. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

Op-Ed article by author James Carroll expresses fears, as a disaffected Catholic, that appeal of Pope Francis's spacious witness makes his colleagues in church seem more cramped and afraid; suggests for Francis, church only exists to carry story of Jesus forward in history and by doing that to make his presence real; posits retrieval of centrality of Jesus can restore a long-lost simplicity of faith, which makes the Catholic identity only a means to larger communion with humans everywhere. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Ross Douthat Op-Ed column argues that Pope Francis' deep desire to rethink issues of Catholic doctrine may be pushing the Catholic Church toward a crisis of faith; observes recent chaos that followed synod on the family, which formerly proposed rethinking of issues like sex, marriage, divorce and homosexuality; argues that while church has room to moderate, it would do well to resist some of Francis' impulses. MORE

Oct. 22, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column contends two world leaders who most stir passion in him are Pope Francis and Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin; notes that while Francis is everything one could want in a leader, Putin is the opposite; maintains that neither leader can be ignored, and both have outsized influence on the world today. MORE

Oct. 20, 2014

Pope Francis beatifies Pope Paul VI, who died in 1978 after shepherding church through a period of internal reform amid an era of social and political change; ceremony comes at the end of a two-week assembly of bishops convened to discuss the church's attitude to complexities faced by many families. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Peter Manseau asserts discussion of marriage and divorce by Pope Francis's synod of bishops points to fact that idea of family is once again evolving within Catholic Church; holds church has always defined family against unattainable ideal, and that even marriage itself was once considered inferior state; says while cohabitation, divorce and gay marriage may never receive unqualified welcome, church's discussion of issues is important milestone. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Editorial applauds Pope Francis and his synod of bishops for their initial steps to encourage reform and modernization within Catholic Church; holds synod's report displays lenient attitude toward cohabiting and gay couples, and calls comparatively open-minded examination of such issues a landmark in Vatican history; contends synod marks hopeful beginning in what will be difficult but fascinating worldwide debate on future of modern church. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Assembly of Roman Catholic bishops convened by Pope Francis at Vatican releases preliminary document calling for church to welcome and accept gay people, unmarried couples and those who have divorced, as well as children of these less traditional families; bishops' report does not change church doctrine or teaching, and will be subjected to fierce debate and revision at the assembly. MORE

Oct. 7, 2014

Pope Francis urges participants in synod of Roman Catholic bishops to speak openly and clearly, without fear of censure, and calls on them to listen to each other with humility; statement sets tone for two-week meeting, which will chart church's course regarding family life in contemporary society. MORE

Oct. 4, 2014

Leaders of Roman Catholic Church are poised to gather at meeting convened by Pope Francis to discuss whether church should change its approach to several divisive social issues. MORE

Sep. 26, 2014

Pope Francis dismisses bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano of the Diocese of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, who was seen as a renegade by his fellow bishops and had sheltered a priest accused of molesting seminarians in several countries. MORE

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The Vatican’s envoy to the United Nations disclosed this month that Pope Francis would almost certainly come to New York City in 2015. Here’s a list of a few prime possibilities for stops. What do you think he should do?